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How Long’s Your Scaffold Been Up


Triassic

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Mine was up for around 10 months or so.  Like many others I bought my own so was not rushed to get it down, the last 2 bays are still up to get chimney pots on.

 

I have hopefully have it sold on to the next self builder, deal to be done this week all being well.

 

I did work out what it would have cost me for the same period hired and I nearly fell off the chair.

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The difficulty with buying (especially "regular" scaffolding that's just poles and clamps) is how to get it assembled, if you aren't experienced, and how to make sure it's covered by insurance.

 

I can't see an easy way around that risk, as no scaffolding firm is going to want to install someone else's scaffolding cheaply, and there's no way on earth I'd install it myself. I suppose if you're the only one using it, you might feel okay with the risk, but I'd be terrified of having trades clambering around on it if I'd done it myself.

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Yep, totally different between using yourself and having anybody else on it.

 

I had my scaffolding put up professionally (for doing the ridge beam myself) but before I got some builders in to do the sarking I asked the scaffolders to take it down. They stopped inspecting but took a while to remove it so I took the ticket right off and agreed with the builders that they didn't need to go on the scaffolding at all. I didn't see them do it but various clues make me think they probably did. Thankfully there wasn't an accident so there's no point going into it but I was more than a little annoyed.

 

So, there's also the issue of unauthorised access to the scaffolding. I tend to take my scaffold tower down each day unless I'm pretty sure I'll be using it straight away the next day just in case, even though my site is well out of the way and there are no kids around, etc.

Edited by Ed Davies
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25 minutes ago, Ed Davies said:

.... and agreed with the builders that they didn't need to go on the scaffolding at all. I didn't see them do it but various clues make me think they probably did. Thankfully there wasn't an accident so there's no point going into it but I was more than a little annoyed.

 

This is similar to the willingness of many in the trades to modify scaffolding when its current layout doesn't suit them for some reason. Despite asking people not to touch it, we had boards moved/removed, heights adjusted, horizontal poles moved further from walls, etc. 

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Just to note on the buying your own.  I and many others on here have done so but it is kwikstage scaffolding not the bars and clamps job.  Much easier to erect as it is system scaffolding and there is alot of guidance available on safe practice.

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47 minutes ago, Ed Davies said:

I tend to take my scaffold tower down each day unless I'm pretty sure I'll be using it straight away the next day just in case, even though my site is well out of the way and there are no kids around, etc.

 

We had to do that in the end as despite it being pretty decent and stable there was one occasion where we had hellish storms overnight and the damn thing blew over (house is on the coast and it gets über windy here). Luckily it just fell into the garden and as it was the middle of the night no one was about. Always took it down every night (leaving the first level up if it was still in use) after that. 

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6 minutes ago, newhome said:

How do you stand on insurance if someone has an accident on scaffolding you own personally? That said we got caught out even via a registered company (but he was a crook!). 

As has been said previously, you need to check your site insurance covers system scaffold erection and use. Clearly, even employing a scaffolding company has its limitations, as you found out.

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23 minutes ago, Triassic said:

As has been said previously, you need to check your site insurance covers system scaffold erection and use. Clearly, even employing a scaffolding company has its limitations, as you found out.

 

Scaffolding use is highly regulated though is it not? Surely no site insurance policy would allow someone to put up scaffolding without the relevant certification and let other people use it? If you use it yourself it’s at your own risk but surely not otherwise? Also the HSE came down on my scaffolder like a ton of bricks when someone fell off (allegedly). If that happened and the HSE were involved and it was the householder’s own scaffolding then surely the ton of bricks would come their way instead regardless of what any site insurance policy said?

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My site insurance covers self erected scaffolding. I also had mine all signed off by HSE before anyone was allowed on it.  I got stung by HSE for working at heights, prohibition notices all round, resulting in so much scaffolding and their sign off.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 11/09/2018 at 08:26, ProDave said:

Mine was up for a good year.

 

But I bought my own Kwikstage so no penalty for it being up longer.

I've just had a price for sufficient Kwikstage to scaffold around the 80m perimeter of my build (3 lifts) and it comes to the grand total of £19,282.62 inc VAT.

 

I talked to five scaffold companies and two have come back with prices, £6,600+vat and £4,900+vat, for six month hire period.

 

Edited by Triassic
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Look on ebay. Several people selling refurbished Kwikstage. e.g this one 24M by 5M high for £2660. Would 4 sets of that do you for a little over £10K most of which you would get back when you sell it? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Used-Kwikstage-System-Scaffold-24m-x-5m-inc-NEW-8-Timber-Battens-2216-67-Vat/150993037936?hash=item2327e2ea70:g:kCwAAOxy1klRZVO0

 

I bought mine for a lot less from a private seller, but had to provide the transport myself.

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